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Chinese energy firms say Brazil must clarify rules or face loss of investments
Senior Chinese energy executives have called on Brazil to fix its regulatory framework and provide long-term predictability, warning that delays could hamper billions of dollars in green investment.
The requests for transparency came on Thursday during a panel discussion at the Energy Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where representatives from the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) and China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) said that Brazil risked falling behind unless it acted quickly to clarify rules for energy storage and long-term concessions.
China has become one of Brazil's biggest energy investors, pouring US$1.73 billion into the sector in 2023, a 33 per cent rise from the previous year, with roughly 72 per cent of confirmed projects focusing on wind, solar and other clean technologies, according to the Brazil-China Business Council.
Since 2007, Chinese firms have invested a total of US$73.3 billion in Brazil generally, making it the fourth-largest destination globally for Chinese capital.
'Today we have the technology, the capital and the interest, but we lack a stable and predictable framework for energy storage in Brazil,' said Marcelo Taulois, deputy chief executive and chief development officer of CEEC Brazil. He warned that delays were putting billions of dollars of investment at risk.
Taulois said that a long-awaited framework for battery storage, announced in December, had been put on hold despite strong interest from more than 60 developers.
'We were expecting it to be implemented by May, but it stopped,' he said.
Adriana Waltrick, chief executive of SPIC Brasil, said that long-term planning was vital for both nations' roles in the global energy transition.
'China and Brazil are two of the four countries that will define this shift,' she said, noting that in 2024, China invested roughly 10 per cent of its gross domestic product in the energy transition sector, compared with roughly 1 per cent by Brazil.
'But China built an ecosystem where planning and execution go hand in hand. Brazil can do the same,' Waltrick said, adding that advances in digital technology – from artificial intelligence for hydro management to smart energy grids – could help Brazil make better use of its abundant resources.
She said that Brazil had the expertise to do this, but only if regulations evolved with the times.
Jorge Arbache, a University of Brasília economist, noted that vulnerability could become a catalyst for growth if policies were clear and coordinated.
'And China, with its ability to articulate, coordinate and implement policies, has succeeded through very well-defined plans and clear targets across the central government, provinces, state-owned enterprises and private firms in accelerating its path towards energy independence.
'This is something we can mimic here,' he added.
As evidence that the market responded when rules were defined, panellists cited rising confirmation rates for announced Chinese energy-related investments in Brazil, from 27 per cent in 2022 to 88 per cent in 2023.
Yet both Taulois and Waltrick said the trend could stall if Brazil failed to provide a robust framework for storage and long-term concessions.
'The sentiment right now is one of urgency,' Taulois said.
'The market and the technology are ready. What we're missing is a sign from the government that Brazil is serious about making this transition happen.'
Waltrick said Brazil had a unique opportunity: 'We have the resources, we have the technology, and we have strong partners like China ready to build. But the bridge between planning and policy has to be built now – or this moment could slip away.' -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
